...that didn't appear in the Fishwrap Media:
First, the House finally realized why it got that conservative-leaning Republican majority back in the 2010 election and passed "Cap, Cut, and Balance." Next stop is the Senate, where we'll see how many of both parties will either decide to represent the majority of the voters (who favored the bill, despite what Obie claimed in last week's presser) or still firmly believe that our wallets are their own personal ATMs.
Second, Iran got tired of just shelling Iraqi Kurds and launched a raid into the area around Suleymania (S'leymani, if you'd prefer it in Kurmanji). The Revolutionary Guards evidently got their butts kicked good -- not surprising, since we've been training the Kurds since '03, at least. The RG's target was one of the towns where a lot of Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) members make their home, because PJAK openly sides with Iranian Kurds agitating for an autonomous homeland in Iran. In what would normally be a puzzling move, in 2009 the Treasury Department declared the PJAK a terrorist organization -- right before Obie's "peace overtures" to Tehran. Got that? The *Treasury* Department -- not the State Department, and not the Justice Department, and not in coordination with either -- made that call, evidently based on an *Iranian* TV newscast linking PJAK with the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).
Why isn't it a puzzling move, since it was analogous to a Cav Troop fry cook writing the OPORD for the airmobile assault into the Ia Drang Valley?
Simple. Why would we expect anything but amateurish bumbling from *any* member of the Insane Clown Posse running the show in DC?
First, the House finally realized why it got that conservative-leaning Republican majority back in the 2010 election and passed "Cap, Cut, and Balance." Next stop is the Senate, where we'll see how many of both parties will either decide to represent the majority of the voters (who favored the bill, despite what Obie claimed in last week's presser) or still firmly believe that our wallets are their own personal ATMs.
Second, Iran got tired of just shelling Iraqi Kurds and launched a raid into the area around Suleymania (S'leymani, if you'd prefer it in Kurmanji). The Revolutionary Guards evidently got their butts kicked good -- not surprising, since we've been training the Kurds since '03, at least. The RG's target was one of the towns where a lot of Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) members make their home, because PJAK openly sides with Iranian Kurds agitating for an autonomous homeland in Iran. In what would normally be a puzzling move, in 2009 the Treasury Department declared the PJAK a terrorist organization -- right before Obie's "peace overtures" to Tehran. Got that? The *Treasury* Department -- not the State Department, and not the Justice Department, and not in coordination with either -- made that call, evidently based on an *Iranian* TV newscast linking PJAK with the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).
Why isn't it a puzzling move, since it was analogous to a Cav Troop fry cook writing the OPORD for the airmobile assault into the Ia Drang Valley?
Simple. Why would we expect anything but amateurish bumbling from *any* member of the Insane Clown Posse running the show in DC?
The Kurds won't, because they're a long walk from home, and the Iraqis won't, because they know we trained the Kurds for a lot longer than we trained the New Iraqi Army.
And the Iraqis have quietly begun holding joint maneuvers with the Kurds...
The Senate BBA wouldn't change spending or the debt in any meaningful way, but it would give the spendaholics the perfect response to any mention of spending too much: "We can't be spending too much, we passed that horribly restrictive BBA you demanded! We're only spending within the limits you set! Quit moving the goal line!" People, especially fiscal conservatives and libertarians, desperately need to know how counterproductive that BBA would be if passed and ratified.
*heh*
Historical Revisionism, Parts 1, 2, and 3.
http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/06/historical_revi.html
http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/06/historical_revi_1.html
http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/06/historical_revi_2.html
Silly nanny.
Any time, QM.
I noticed you made it over the Lex's place. I posted the links to your series after your latest post. Good info, that. I'd never heard anything like it before, and I certainly agree with your attitude towards Cheney.
I'm sure teh fry cook didn't write the OpOrd for Ia Drang. LZ Xray was at Ia Drang wasn't it? I think that still qualifies as the hottest of the war, based on camparisons I've read.
Ong Thanh was pretty nasty, too. In fact... it was real real nasty.